Utah’s partnership with French youth organization aims to elevate communities and sport ahead of 2034 Olympics

Over 500 youth from 36 nations participate in Festival 24, including six teens from Utah, pictured here along with Utah Governor Spencer Cox, SLC Mayor Erin Mendehall and Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 Board Chair Catherine Raney Norman. Photo: David Jackson // Park Record

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – On the heels of Utah being awarded the 2034 Winter Olympics, an exciting partnership has been forged between Utah and Sport dans la Ville, a French youth sports organization that aims to provide opportunities to underserved communities.

The partnership is part of Salt Lake City, Utah 2034’s initiative to promote sport as a tool to bring communities closer together.

On Thursday, July 25, the day after Slat Lake City was awarded the Games, more than 500 young people from 34 countries around the world celebrated the values of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Among the 500 youth were six Utah teens, including Park City’s Victoria Rosales.

“Sport and community together are a vital message for us in Utah and with our sport friends around the world,” Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 Board Chair Catherine Raney Norman, a four-time Olympic speed skater, said. “Our partnership with Sport dans le Ville will foster deeper relationships and learnings on how we can engage more kids in sport and help bring communities closer together.”

“For the last 20 years, Sport dans la Ville has partnered with American youth organizations and has impacted the lives of hundreds of American and French youth,” said co-founder and Executive Director Phillipe Oddou. “Today, we are thrilled to offer these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to youth to discover the majesty of both the French Alps and Utah’s Wasatch Range.”

The program was highlighted by an appearance from Olympic downhill skiing gold medalists Lindsey Vonn (2010) from the USA and France’s Carole Montillet.

Sport dans la Ville was started in 1998 as a social project to help underserved communities by integrating team sports programs in the heart of neighborhoods and ultimately linking them to job opportunities.

Utah’s First Lady Abby Cox, who helped spearhead a delegation of six Utah teens attending the festival, addressed the diverse audience of youth from around the world. “In Utah, we love to serve – we love to give back,” she said to the crowd. “It’s part of who we are. I look across the audience, and I see similarities. We have differences across our countries, but we also have so many similarities. We want to disconnect from our phones and connect with our communities. What can you do as the next generation? Do you want to change the world? Change your communities! Build up your communities.”

The success of Sport dans la Ville has been due to the long-term continuity of bringing sport to underserved communities. Its programs engage youth through sport, developing personal career skills and job opportunities by inspiring youth and instilling a desire to achieve new goals.

One of the Utah delegation’s selling points to the International Olympic Committee was its mission, which was forged around elevating communities and sport. With a Games plan in place to use all existing venues for 2034, Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 officials plan to build on he already strong living legacy by focusing on sport and community, 10 years before the Games.

“Without the need to focus on venue construction now, we have a unique opportunity to really focus on sport and community,” said Raney Norman. “This partnership is just one example of how we plan to both learn from others and to share our own experiences.”

The Utah delegation of young athletes included: Tyson Adamson, Lehi; Raymond Soto, Salt Lake City; Harun Ahmed, Salt Lake City; Victoria Rosales, Park City; Jazmin Solis, Mount Pleasant; and Ellie Finlonson, Moroni. The group traveled first to Lyon, part of the French Alps 2030 bid, before heading to Paris.